Hotel California
by Olivia Eternal Song
Summary: in the Californian desert, strange rumors circulate about a hotel where nothing is what it seems and time holds little meaning... but what does this mean for a group of travelers who persue rumors like these, hoping to find something that's been lost?
1. On a Dark Desert Highway

Tsubasa is owned by Clamp, and the song "Hotel California" is owned by the Eagles. if you haven't heard this song, i highly reccomend it, but you don't necessarily need to listen to it to understand the story.

i got the idea for this fic while listening to this song and thinking "hey, this would really work as a Tsubasa fic." but, sadly, nobody had written one, so i took it upon my self to do so. i hope you like it :)

this is my first fanfiction, but i write plenty of original fiction, so i can handle critique. critique is LOVE.

California, 1977

If anyone besides a lone coyote had been watching the stretch of highway snaking through the desert of eastern California, lined with weeds, cacti, and sand, they would have thought the nondescript black compact car speeding down the westbound lane to be remarkable only in the fact that people rarely traveled the road at twilight, or at any other time of day, for that matter. When cars came, they were few and far between, and with nobody to enforce the speed limit, it was unremarkable that this particular car happened to be going at about a hundred miles an hour, with no sign of slowing. The sun was just disappearing behind the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the peering eyes of the night creatures had just begun to appear. The air was heavy with leftover heat and the heady scent of the native colitas. This far from any towns, most signs of civilization ceased to exist, and if anyone had been observing, they would have found that all things about the particular night seemed completely unremarkable. That is, until they looked at the group of people in the car currently barreling towards the mountains.

"Roll up that damn window before I rip you a new one!" the driver yelled at the man in the passenger seat, startling him and the other three passengers as well. The waif-like man in the passenger seat grinned as he cranked down the window, the wind making his feathery blonde hair flutter. His blue eyes shone with amusement as he glanced at the irate driver.

"But, Kuro-pi, it's sooo hot here!" he exclaimed, making the driver's crimson eyes flash in annoyance as the wind tried to mess up his short black hair.

"I don't care if your insides boil, idiot! Just put up the damn window. That smell is making me sick."

"Mokona likes the smell!" chirped a small white creature in the back. It looked for all the world like a rabbit crossbred with a steamed pork bun. "The smell reminds Mokona of the pine trees people decorate at Christmas time!"

"I don't care what it smells like, manju!" the driver thundered. "Just roll up the damn window, mage!"

"But the wind feels nice~" the blonde whined.

The two men continued to bicker for a few minutes before the girl in the back put her hand on the blonde's shoulder. He turned to face her.

"Don't worry, Fai-san. I used to live in the desert. It gets very cold at night there." She turned to the boy sitting behind the driver's seat. "Right, Syaoran-kun? It'll cool down in no time!"

He just smiled and nodded before looking back down at his map. The blonde, Fai, took the girl's hand.

"Oh, Sakura-chan, you're so sweet. Unlike a certain big puppy up here…" He looked pointedly at the driver, who growled, but said nothing.

"Oh, I'm sure Kurogane-san's doing his best to drive this. It must be rather difficult." Sakura looked flustered, her green eyes darting between the two.

"Not really. If it's gonna cool down soon anyway, then shut the damn window. I'm suffocating." Kurogane cut in. "And what the hell is that smell, anyway?"

Everyone shrugged and ignored the irate man. For several minutes, they drove on in silence as the sky steadily darkened. Finally, Sakura couldn't hold back a large yawn. This, in turn, caused Fai, Mokona, and Syaoran to yawn as well.

"Your turn, Kuro-rin," Fai said, poking Kurogane's arm. Instead of yawning, however, the driver just squinted out the windshield at something in the distance. He stared at it for a few seconds before leaning back in his seat. Curious, Fai glanced in the same direction, looking for whatever had caught Kurogane's interest.

"Hyuu, I see a light! Good job, Kuro-puu! We're almost there!" he exclaimed, startling Sakura and Mokona. They both craned their necks to look out the windshield.

"Do you think that's the place we're looking for, Kurogane-san?" Syaoran asked as he, too, glanced out the windshield.

"I hope so, kid. I'm getting tired of driving this thing, and I think the princess needs to go to bed." Kurogane grunted.

"No, Kurogane san, I'm fine, really," Sakura protested, but her argument cut short due to a large yawn. The ninja gave a small chuckle and Syaoran patted her shoulder.

"It's ok, princess. You still don't have all of your memories back, so we understand that you need to rest often." he gave her a soft smile, and she blushed.

"thank you, Syaoran-kun..."

as the car continued down the highway, the passengers found themselves feeling drowsier and having more and more trouble staying awake. Mokona and Sakura both finally succumbed to their state and drifted into dreams, Mokona snuggled tightly in Sakura's arms. Syaoran smiled drowsily at the sight, doing his best not to follow their lead. Even Kurogane was having trouble keeping his head level, and he began to blink rapidly in an effort to clear his vision of sleep. Something was strange about this, he could tell. He glanced at the mage, and was surprised to find that he was as wide-awake as ever, humming lightly to himself. Kurogane growled and looked away. At this rate, they really would have to stop at the place ahead, regardless of whether it was what they were looking for. He felt the insane need to yawn, but held it in. he wouldn't give the idiot the satisfaction.

"What's wrong, Kuro-growl?" Fai turned to look at the tired ninja. He was obviously trying very hard to keep his eyes on the road. "You look tired. Want me to drive for a while?"

"Hell no. you'll crash before we get five feet." Kurogane growled. Fai laughed his annoying fake giggle and slumped down in the seat.

Soon, the light in the distance grew close enough to reveal that it was some sort of building, a long, Spanish style building, no more than four stories high, but with a large bell tower. It was some distance from the actual highway, and had a long driveway connecting to the nearest exit. Kurogane turned onto the exit ramp without bothering to use a turn signal and barely slowing down.

"Eek, Kuro-rin, don't kill us!" Fai shrieked jokingly, grabbing the handle above the passenger door.

The speeding car slowly lost momentum when Kurogane removed his foot from the accelerator and allowed the car to coast down the stretch of road as they neared the building ahead. Finally, a large wrought iron gate reared up imposingly and Kurogane braked heavily. The car jerked to a stop mere inches from the iron bars. Nonplussed, the ninja looked around for someone who might open the gate. He finally spotted the night man dozing in his tollbooth. Sadly, whatever sleep the guard had hoped to get was cut short by a loud blare of a car horn. He jumped, and then looked sleepily at the car. For a moment, he looked as though he were debating whether to go back to sleep, but another beep got him to get up and walk over to the black compact.

"Welcome to the Hotel California, sir." he said, leaning over as Kurogane rolled down the driver's side window. "Are you planning on staying here, or are you just looking for directions?"

At the mention of the name Hotel California, Syaoran perked up. He leaned over and whispered in the ninja's ear.

"This is the place, Kurogane-san. This is supposedly where the rumors stem from, about people hearing voices and acting strangely."

"You think it's the feather, kid?" Kurogane muttered back, ignoring the sleepy night man.

"Well, it's the best lead we've got," Syaoran said. The other man nodded and turned back to the night man.

"Yeah, we're planning on staying here. You gonna let us in?"

The night man, intimidated by Kurogane's fierce glare, nodded and scurried back to the booth, where he pressed a button that caused the gates to open. As the car rolled into the parking lot and found a space, Syaoran gently shook the sleeping princess awake.

"Sakura-hime, it's time to get up. We're here."

Sakura blinked and looked around. Slowly, she unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car, carrying Mokona in her arm. The small white creature took a moment to wake up before looking around as the slowly walked towards the front entrance of the old mission building.

"Moko-chan, do you sense anything?" Sakura asked Mokona, and it scrunched its nose in concentration.

"There's definitely some weird power here..." it began in its adorably high-pitched voice." But there's so many different things... it's weird, but Mokona thinks Mokona can feel the feather."

They paused at the front door, a heavy, intricately carved slab of wood, and Syaoran glanced up at the faded black letters painted above the door.

"HOTEL CALIFORNIA," they read, and painted underneath were the words "established 1877."

******

by the way, i looked up colitas and it would seem that they are the very tip of the marijuana plant, and are very full of the plant's sap, so therefore extremely potent. they grow rampant in northern California, and smell very much like pine, which is why Mokona compared the smell to a Christmas tree.

so there it is, the first chapter. i'll try to be good about updates, but with high school... you never know.

please review if you feel like it :)


	2. Voices Down the Corridor

Tsubasa belongs to the manga geniuses/sadists known as CLAMP, and the song "Hotel California" belongs to the musical geniuses known as the Eagles.

Well, things finally begin to pick up here. I forgot to say this last chapter, but this takes place pre-Acid Tokyo. I'm going to assume that everyone knew that, but no harm is saying it anyway.

Thank you so much for the reviews last chapter, it made me very pleased that this is so well received. I won't let you down! *power pose*

*****

The door creaked as Kurogane pulled it open, allowing the others to tramp into the hallway. Inside, they came face to face with a young Asian woman standing in front of them. She had long, straight black hair and kind yet detached eyes. She stood tall as she looked at them.

"Welcome. My name is Arashi Kishu, owner of this hotel. Would you like a room?" her voice was calm, but for some reason it sent chills up Kurogane's spine. This place...

"Yes, we need a room for four people, but I'm afraid we don't have too much money, Kishu-san." Fai said, ever the charmer.

"That won't be a problem, sir. Our rates are very reasonable." she said, picking a ledger up from the table against the wall. "Let's see... we have several one bedrooms for $50 a night or two-bedrooms for $75 a night. How long are you staying, and which would you prefer?"

"Oh, I don't know. Kuro-rin, how long are we staying?" the mage looked over his shoulder at the ninja. Kurogane's nerves were going crazy, and the idiot mage wasn't helping at all.

"Would you cut it out with those names!?" he yelled. "I don't know how long. We're staying until we find what we're looking for!"

Unperturbed by Kurogane's outburst, Fai just turned back to Arashi and told her to give them a week in a one-bedroom, then waved towards Kurogane.

"Kuro-daddy's the one with all of the money. For some reason he doesn't trust Fai-mommy with our finances." This earned a large growl from the ninja in question as he dug the money out of his jeans. They'd made a fair amount of the strange green money by selling their clothes from the previous world to some people who'd taken an intense liking to the foreign garments. After a bit or grumbling, he finally counted out the right amount of bills and handed them over. As he did so, a bell sounded from the tower. Everyone jumped at the sound as it rang nine times. For some reason, the melancholy sound of the iron bell did nothing to alleviate the strange atmosphere of the hotel.

"Hey, kid, have you noticed?" Kurogane whispered to Syaoran, who nodded.

"Yes… this whole place seems to have a strange vibe around it… I can't quite tell if it's good or bad."

It was Kurogane's turn to nod.

"It almost feels as if this could be heaven…" Syaoran paused. "Or this place could be hell."

"Is it that late already?" Arashi said distractedly, and then looked at her new guests. "Do you like the mission bell? It's the original from when this place was built in the early eighteen hundreds. It used to be a Spanish mission, before it fell into disuse."

Syaoran perked up at the mention of something old.

"Really? What year was it built? What was it used for? Did the original owners abandon it?" he started spouting off all sorts of questions while looking around the lobby. Arashi gave him a small smile.

"Those are all good questions, young man, and I'd be happy to answer them in the morning, but for now I think your sister is falling asleep." She gestured towards Sakura, who was literally falling asleep on her feet. Mokona was already fast asleep in her arms. Syaoran started and rushed over to keep Sakura upright. The hotel owner bent over to light a tall tapered candle.

"Please, follow me to your room." She started down the hallway. They all obediently followed as she led them through dark corridors and up the stairwell to the fourth floor, where they took yet another corridor to their room. As they walked, they all received the distinct impression that a voice, or several voices, were drifting down the corridor and trying to say something. They all listened, even the half-asleep Sakura. So focused on the voices were they that they barely noticed when Arashi stopped in front of room 401.

"Here we are. This is your room, and here is your key. If you would like another copy of the key, we have spares in the lobby that you may pick up in the morning. Sleep well." She said, and then left them with a small bow. She had handed the key to Kurogane, who unlocked and opened the door. As they entered the room, he gave a small snort.

"Mage, I understand that we're short on money, but how are we going to fit four people onto two small beds and a couch?" he asked, gesturing to the open bedroom door where two twin beds lay made. It went as an unspoken agreement that that was where Sakura and Syaoran should sleep. The couch sat in front of the coffee table and looked barely long enough for either of the two tall men, let alone both of them.

"Silly Kuro-pi. You can sleep on the floor. You're a ninja, aren't you?" Fai smiled and patted him on the back, warranting a grunt from the taller man.

"Umm, guys, I think you'll be fine." Syaoran said, and then held out a slip of paper that had been on the coffee table. Fai and Kurogane both looked at it, then a Syaoran.

"Well, what does it say, kid?" Kurogane asked bluntly. The boy looked puzzled, and then realized his mistake.

"oh. It's directions for the fold-out bed in the couch." He replied. "so I guess you could each take one side…"

"Yay! Fai-mommy gets to sleep next to big, strong Kuro-daddy!" Fai exclaimed, hugging onto "Kuro-daddy's" left arm.

"Oi, get offa me, you moron!" Kurogane shouted, trying to shake off the persistent mage. Finally, Fai lost interest and went to help Syaoran pull out the hide-a-bed. The ninja huffed and watched as the two tried to figure out the contraption, with Syaoran reading the instructions aloud and Fai flinging cushions everywhere.

"Umm, Kurogane-san?" Sakura said quietly. Kurogane looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, inviting the girl to continue. She shuffled her feet nervously. "Well, this place, it's… well I can't help feeling like there's something really weird here. Almost as if there's a certain presence here…"

"Yeah, I noticed that too." The man nodded, and Sakura looked a little bit relieved that she wasn't the only one. "Do you think it's your feather, princess?"

Sakura shook her head.

"Well, maybe that's part of it, but it almost feels like it's alive, and when we were walking down the hallway… I didn't mention it because I didn't want to worry Syaoran-kun, but… I heard voices. They said something kinda creepy."

Kurogane's eyebrows rose higher at the mention of the voices, but before he could ask what she'd heard, a stray cushion connected with his temple and bounced off. Sakura and Syaoran both looked as though they were trying very hard to stifle laughter as Kurogane's face became redder and redder. Luckily for him, the white manju was still asleep. Otherwise, he'd never live this down; a ninja hit in the face by an errant pillow was just unheard of.

"You've got about three seconds, mage, before I shove this pillow up your ass!" he yelled, and Fai put up his hands in a peace gesture.

"But Kuro-pi, I just needed to get your attention! This thing you pull out to get to the bed… it's too heavy for me!" he said, his stupid expression morphing to one of pouting. "Kurgy's big and strong, so you can pull it out!" the mage grinned as the ninja stomped over to the bed and yanked the handle on the folded bed frame with one hand. It smoothly unfolded and landed with a thump in the spot that the coffee table had been moments before, until Syaoran moved it. Fai clapped and gave one of his annoying fake whistles.

"Hyuu, good job, Kuro-tan!" he smiled and moved to straighten the sheets on the newly revealed bed as Syaoran pulled some pillows from the closet and Kurogane tried very hard not to hit the mage.

"Hey, princess. What were you going to say about the voices in the hallway?"

Sakura startled a bit at Kurogane's sudden question. Fai and Syaoran both looked at her and Kurogane, and surprise showed on both of their faces.

"Princess, you heard them too?" Syaoran asked, looking slightly relieved at the fact that he hadn't been the only one to hear voices. Sakura nodded shyly.

"Good job, Sakura-chan. Could you hear what they were saying?" Fai asked, clearly curious. "I tried to listen, but I just couldn't make it out. Did you hear them, too, Kuro-pii?"

Kurogane nodded, and then looked pointedly at Sakura, urging her to continue. She shifted nervously, as though she felt put on the spot.

"Well, I heard voices down the corridor- we all did, I guess, and I thought that I heard them say…" she paused, trying to remember. "I think they said 'Welcome to the Hotel California… such a lovely place… such a lovely face…" she trailed off.

"Was there any more, princess?" Syaoran urged, taking her hand to try to help her. "I think I heard "There's plenty of room at the Hotel California… any…' and that's all I got."

"'Any time of year, you can find it here.'" Sakura finished. She looked worriedly at Syaoran. "What do you think it means? Do you think they were talking about finding the feather here?"

"Hmm… it could probably could mean a lot of things," Fai mused. "It all depends on what you're looking for. But in the meanwhile, it seems like the rumors hold some measure of truth, ne?" he smiled in a way that suggested to Kurogane that he definitely knew more than he was telling.

"Hmm." The ninja grunted. "Well, we're not going to get anything accomplished by standing here all night, so I suggest you kids get some rest."

"Ok. Goodnight, Kurogane-san, Fai-san." Syaoran gave a small bow before putting his hand on the princess's shoulder. "Let's go to bed, Sakura-hime."

"Ok. Goodnight" she smiled at the two older men before following Syaoran into the bedroom and shutting the door.

"You too, mage. No booze tonight. It's time for bed," the warrior growled before proceeding to remove his shirt and climb under the thin covers.

"Aww, Kuro-tan's so sweet when he's concerned." Fai giggled, turning off the lamp and lying down on the other side of the bed, assuming his normal facedown position.

"Shut it." Kurogane growled. Someday he'd smack the blonde, but for now, it was time to get some much-needed sleep.

*****

a/n ok,, you may wonder about my choice for using Arashi for the part of the woman referred to in the song, but I have my reasons. I promise it'll all make sense in due time. On a side note, little Easter egg hidden in the hotel room number that the gang gets to stay in. anyone who guesses gets a free internet-glomp.

oh, and leave it to me to start a new writing project right before National Novel Writer's Month (www. nanowrimo .org), which i happen to be participating in... so, updates on this might take a back seat to my novel, but it all depends on how motivated i am. so, i'm sorry, and please bear with me -_-


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